Tackling Your Camp’s Wish List

August 1, 2024

Do you often find yourself or other camp staff sharing thoughts like these aloud?

• “My summer camp would serve so many more people if we just had...” 
• “My camp’s programming could really step it up a notch with...” 
• “With just a few more camp staff, my camp could finally...” 

Every Camp Has a Wish List

We often find ourselves wishing for something that feels out of reach. That’s okay! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a long list of wishes for your camp. Dreaming up ways to improve the camp experience is a clear sign of your passion and commitment to what you do.

In fact, if you were to ask our team for words to describe the camp professionals we’ve had the pleasure of meeting, “passionate” and “committed” would certainly be at the top of our list! 

Separate Your Wish List from Your Camp's To-Do List

When a member of your team expresses a need or an idea that fits well with your camp’s objectives, it’s important to identify what element makes it a “wish” instead of an actionable request. Wishes are items you hope to fulfill “someday, if” whereas to-do list items are achievable now.

Typically, the difference between a wish list item and a to-do list item is a matter of resources. There are eight common types of resources that a camp (or business) needs to achieve its goals and move items from the wish list to the to-do list: 

• Human Resources: A workforce or a team of employees who have the skills, knowledge, and expertise needed to achieve a goal. 
  
• Financial Resources: Capital, funding, investors, and cash flow to sustain operational needs and procure assets to grow and expand.
  
• Physical Resources: Physical items such as equipment, machinery, storage, and facilities.
  
• Intellectual Resources: Ownership of ideas, patents, trademarks, copyrights, and proprietary knowledge that can boost operations.
  
• Technological Resources: Software, hardware, IT infrastructure, and other tools for operations, communications, and data management.
  
• Natural Resources: Resources such as land, water, airspace, and minerals.
  
• Informational Resources: Information from which you can draw business intelligence for decision making, such as in-house data, market research, and customer insights.
• Relationship Resources: Partnerships, alliances, suppliers, and customer relationships that can make it easier to achieve goals. 

If you are missing key resources to make your wish into a reality, identifying what those are will get you one step closer to bringing it to life. If the wish is something that you or your team feel passionate about, knowing which resources are missing will empower you to be on the lookout for opportunities to obtain them. 

A Look at What Camps Are Wishing For  

We dug through online forums, social media groups, popular camp resources, and various surveys (including our own 2023 survey results) to figure out what types of wishes appeared on the average camp’s wish list.

Our team was able to sort the wishes into five main categories: 

• General Facility Improvements – Bigger drop-off/pick-up areas, more bathrooms, staff-accessible Wi-Fi/internet connections, and added stages or meeting areas. 
  
• Expanded Activities or Activity Equipment – Paintball, rope courses, crafts, and games.
  
• Dedicated Spaces – Sensory rooms, hammock villages, and organized storage areas.
  
• Increased Budgets – Funds for activities, camper services, special events, and celebrations. 
  
• Cultural Changes – Staff training, better social dynamics, and overall inclusivity and acceptance.
  

If you're finding these same types of items on your camp's wish list, you're in good company!

Turning Wishes into Reality for Your Camp

Turning a wish into reality requires an actionable plan with a structured approach and deliberate actions. Follow these five steps to start turning your wish into reality:

STEP 1  |  Clarify Your Wish

What does the ideal outcome of your wish look like to you? The more specific your vision, the easier it is to plan. Identify the resources you need to get there, such as items you need to purchase, experts you can consult, and team members you need to hire. Then try to identify potential obstacles that may reduce your camp’s chance of success—including legal matters, resource restrictions, conflicting interests, etc. 

STEP 2  |  Outline A Plan

Larger camp goals can feel daunting, so the next step is to break your wish into smaller, more manageable pieces. Working backward from the end result you envisioned, create a detailed plan outlining the steps you need to take to achieve your goals. Depending on the complexity of your wish, your plan may include several phases with daily, weekly, monthly, or even annual milestones. Your plan will need to account for purchases, training, consulting, and the availability of resources. 

STEP 3  |  Set SMART Goals

Transform your wish into S.M.A.R.T. goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This ensures your big plan gets broken down into small enough chunks for your team to manage. Asking for feedback on your goals can provide you with encouragement, accountability, and new perspectives. For more details about S.M.A.R.T. planning, read “How to Plan S.M.A.R.T. Camp Communications". 

STEP 4  |  Gather Resources
To build a strong foundation, research and begin gathering camp resources early on. These could be time, money, information, or support from others—and includes introducing your plan to the individuals who will help you bring it to life! Their insights will be invaluable. Together, determine what resources you need and at what point in your plan they come into play. Delays or difficulty in acquiring certain resources may cause you to revise or even scrap your plans altogether.

STEP 5  |  Take Action 

Put your plan into action to make your camp’s wish a reality! Use your S.M.A.R.T. goals to measure progress towards your plan. Remember to stay flexible! Even with the best planning, life is unpredictable. You may find yourself adapting your plan to unexpected events. Don’t allow yourself to be discouraged easily! Turning a wish into reality takes time and effort. Expect challenges along the way.  

Review Your Camp Wish List Often

The world of summer camp is always evolving. A generous donor, a new hire, or a very happy camp family can make all the difference in what is possible to achieve. So, it’s important to keep track of your wishes and re-evaluate them often against your available resources and check for their alignment with your camp’s priorities. Achieving items from your camp's wish list can boost team morale and bring you closer to fulfilling your camp’s overall mission and vision.

Encouraging People and Celebrating Camp Success

Sometimes, all it takes is a little encouragement to enact real, measurable change. When your camp celebrates a victory—like making something from your camp wish list come true—be sure to share it on social media to celebrate and start meaningful conversations in the camp community! (And don’t forget to mention @icamppro in your post or comment section so we can read all about it!) 

Is Finding Better Camp Software on Your Wish List?

Listening to pain points, success stories, and having real conversations with camps is what inspires our team to make better camp software tools. We're committed to helping you streamline operations and grow your camp revenue, reputation, and success.

We believe the right tools and workflows can help your team find more time and energy to focus on delivering the best camp experience possible. We would love to get to know your team and discuss how iCampPro can help!